Canberra (Australia), Aug 3 Progressing to the FIFA Women's World Cup knockout stages without captain Sam Kerr has given Australia increased confidence, according to goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.
The Matildas took to the training field on Thursday for a light session, their first since beating Canada 4-0 on Monday, to guarantee progression to the round of 16, where they will face Denmark.
For the first time since injuring her calf on the eve of the tournament, 29-year-old Kerr trained in front of the media and looks set to play a significant role in Sydney on Monday night.The superstar striker, who had missed Australia's first two group stage matches, was cleared to play against Canada but was not needed off the bench, a Xinhua report said.
Speaking after training, first-choice goalkeeper Arnold said the performances without their captain had given the Matildas extra belief.
"The world has now seen what we can do," she told reporters. "We always want Sam on the field, and she's a world-class striker, but we've shown now that we have the depth and we can play any combination up front that we can still score goals."
If Kerr is deemed fit to start, coach Tony Gustavsson will face a major selection dilemma after forwards Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, and Mary Fowler starred against Canada.
Higher intensity training sessions are planned for Friday and Saturday, the latter of which could be held entirely behind closed doors as preparations for the match against Denmark ramp up.
The Matildas last played Denmark in Viborg last October, rallying from conceding a goal in the first minute to win 3-1.
"They're a quiet possession-based team," Arnold said of the next opponent. "We are dangerous on the counter, so that is always part of our plan. But I would hope that we could keep the ball a little bit better than we did against Canada," she added.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor